Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A method comprising: a positioning system receiving from a mobile station a request to determine a location of the mobile station and an identification of a first base station, the first base station comprising a base station with which the mobile station is registered, and the first base station broadcasting a first pilot signal comprising a first pilot signal strength; after receiving the request to determine the location of the mobile station, the positioning system querying an almanac to obtain a geographic location associated with the identification of the first base station; the positioning system determining that the almanac does not include the geographic location associated with the identification of the first base station; and after determining that the almanac does not include the geographic location associated with the identification of the first base station, the positioning system transmitting a message to the mobile station directing the mobile station to obtain an identification of a second base station, the second base station comprising a base station with which the mobile station is not currently registered, and the second base station broadcasting a second pilot signal comprising a second pilot signal strength, wherein the second pilot signal strength is weaker than the first pilot signal strength.
A positioning system determines a mobile station's location when the serving base station's location isn't in its almanac. The system receives a location request and the ID of the mobile's registered (first) base station, which broadcasts a strong pilot signal. The system checks its almanac for the first base station's location. If not found, it tells the mobile station to get the ID of a second, unregistered base station with a weaker pilot signal.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: the positioning system receiving the identification of the second base station; and the positioning system querying the almanac to obtain a geographic location associated with the identification of the second base station, and determining that the almanac includes the geographic location associated with the identification of the second base station.
The positioning system (as in Claim 1) receives the ID of the second base station (obtained because the almanac didn't contain the first base station's location), then queries the almanac for the second base station's location. It verifies that the almanac *does* contain the second base station's location.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising: the positioning system using the geographic location associated with the identification of the second base station to determine the location of the mobile station; and the positioning system providing the location of the mobile station to a location based service provider (LBSP).
Building upon the method described in Claim 2 (where the positioning system finds the second base station's location after failing to find the first), the positioning system uses the second base station's geographic location to calculate the mobile station's location and sends this location to a location-based service provider (LBSP).
4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising: the LBSP using the location of the mobile station as a basis to provide a location based service in response to a location based service request.
Using the mobile station location obtained in Claim 3, the Location Based Service Provider (LBSP) uses the location information provided by the positioning system as a basis for delivering a location-based service in response to the initial location service request made by the mobile device.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the location based service request comprises the request to determine the location of the mobile station.
In the context of Claim 4 (where the LBSP provides a location-based service), the original location based service request from the mobile station is the same request that triggered the location determination process in the first place.
6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the positioning system receiving from the mobile station the request to determine the location of the mobile station and the identification of the first base station comprises the positioning system receiving request to determine the location of the mobile station and the identification of the first base station from the LBSP in a communication path between the mobile station and the positioning system.
Referring to Claim 3 (where the positioning system determines the mobile station's location using the second base station), the location based service provider (LBSP) forwards the initial request to determine the mobile station's location, along with the first base station's ID, to the positioning system. The LBSP acts as an intermediary in the communication path between the mobile station and the positioning system.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of pilot signals are available to the mobile station, the plurality of pilot signals including the first pilot signal and the second pilot signal; wherein the plurality of pilot signals comprises a plurality of pilot signal strengths, including the first pilot signal strength and the second pilot signal strength; and wherein none of the plurality of pilot signal strengths is both stronger than the second pilot signal strength and weaker than the first pilot signal strength.
Referring to Claim 1, when multiple base station pilot signals are available (including the first and second), no other pilot signal has a strength that falls between the strengths of the first (stronger) and second (weaker) base station pilot signals. There isn't a third base station signal that is both stronger than the second base station and weaker than the first base station.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the message to the mobile station directing the mobile station to obtain the identification of the second base station comprises directing the mobile station to drop its connection to the first base station and acquire a connection to the second base station.
In the context of Claim 1, the positioning system instructs the mobile station to completely disconnect from its currently registered (first) base station and establish a full connection with the second base station to obtain its identification.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the message to the mobile station directing the mobile station to obtain the identification of the second base station comprises directing the mobile station to partially acquire a connection to the second base station; and wherein the mobile station maintains its connection with the first base station.
According to Claim 1, the positioning system instructs the mobile station to only *partially* connect to the second base station in order to obtain its identification, while maintaining its existing connection to the first base station.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the almanac does not include the geographic location associated with the identification of the first base station comprises determining that the almanac does not include the identification of the first base station.
Within the context of Claim 1, determining that the almanac doesn't have the first base station's location means that the almanac simply does not contain the identifier of the first base station at all.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the geographic location comprises geographic coordinates.
Referring to Claim 1, the geographic location associated with the base stations is represented using geographic coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude).
12. A method comprising: a mobile station receiving from a first base station a first pilot signal comprising a first pilot signal strength, the first base station comprising a base station with which the mobile station is registered; the mobile station transmitting a location based service request and an identification of the first base station; the mobile station receiving from a second base station a second pilot signal comprising a second pilot signal strength, the second pilot signal strength being weaker than the first pilot signal strength and the second base station comprising a base station with which the mobile station is not currently registered; after transmitting the location based service request and an identification of the first base station, the mobile station receiving a message directing the mobile station to obtain an identification of a base station with which the mobile station is not currently registered, wherein the base station with which the mobile station is not currently registered is transmitting a pilot signal comprising a pilot signal strength that is weaker than the first pilot signal strength; after receiving the message directing the mobile station to obtain an identification of a base station with which the mobile station is not currently registered, wherein the base station with which the mobile station is not currently registered is transmitting a pilot signal comprising a pilot signal strength that is weaker than the first pilot signal strength, the mobile station obtaining the identification of the second base station from the second base station; after obtaining the identification of the second base station from the second base station, the mobile station transmitting the identification of the second base station; and after transmitting the identification of the second base station, the mobile station receiving a location based service in response to the location based service request.
A mobile station requests a location-based service. It transmits its registered (first) base station's ID and receives a strong pilot signal from it. It also detects a weaker pilot signal from a second, unregistered base station. Upon instruction, it gets the second base station's ID and transmits it. Finally, it receives the requested location-based service. The process gets the unregistered (second) base station ID when the registered (first) base station lookup fails.
13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising: a positioning system receiving the identification of the first base station; the positioning system querying an almanac to obtain a geographic location associated with the identification of the first base station, and determining that the almanac does not include the geographic location associated with the identification of the first base station; the positioning system receiving the identification of the second base station; the positioning system querying an almanac to obtain a geographic location associated with the identification of the second base station, and determining that the almanac includes the geographic location associated with the identification of the second base station; and the positioning system using the geographic location associated with the identification of the second base station to determine a location of the mobile station.
This builds on Claim 12 (mobile station getting location service after providing two base station IDs). The positioning system receives the first base station's ID, fails to find its location in an almanac, receives the second base station's ID, finds its location in the almanac, and uses the second base station's location to determine the mobile station's location.
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising: a location based service provider (LBSP) receiving the location of the mobile station from the positioning system; and the LBSP using the location of the mobile station as a basis to provide a location based service in response to the location based service request.
Extending Claim 13, a location-based service provider (LBSP) receives the calculated mobile station location from the positioning system and utilizes this location to provide a location-based service in response to the mobile station's initial request.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein receiving the identification of the first base station comprises receiving the identification of the first base station from the LBSP; wherein receiving the identification of the second base station comprises receiving the identification of the second base station from the LBSP; and wherein the LBSP comprises a communication path between the mobile station and the positioning system.
Based on Claim 14, the location based service provider (LBSP) relays both the first and second base station IDs between the mobile station and positioning system. The LBSP is part of the communication path between the mobile station and the positioning system.
16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the mobile station obtaining the identification of the second base station from the second base station comprises the mobile station dropping its connection to the first base station and acquiring a connection to the second base station.
Similar to Claim 12, the mobile station disconnects entirely from its registered (first) base station and fully connects to the second base station to obtain its identification information.
17. The method of claim 12 , wherein the mobile station obtaining the identification of the second base station from the second base station comprises the mobile station partially acquiring a connection to the second base station, and the mobile station maintaining its connection with the first base station.
As stated in Claim 12, instead of fully disconnecting, the mobile station only *partially* connects to the second base station to retrieve its identification, while maintaining its existing connection with the first base station.
18. A non-transitory machine readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a processing unit to carry out functions comprising: receiving from a mobile station a request to determine a location of the mobile station and an identification of a first base station, the first base station comprising a base station with which the mobile station is registered, and the first base station broadcasting a first pilot signal comprising a first pilot signal strength; after receiving the request to determine a location of the mobile station, querying an almanac to obtain a geographic location associated with the identification of the first base station, and determining that the almanac does not include the geographic location associated with the identification of the first base station; after determining that the almanac does not include the geographic location associated with the identification of the first base station, transmitting a message to the mobile station directing the mobile station to obtain an identification of a second base station, the second base station comprising a base station with which the mobile station is not currently registered, and the second base station broadcasting a second pilot signal comprising a second pilot signal strength, wherein the second pilot signal strength is weaker than the first pilot signal strength; after transmitting the message to the mobile station directing the mobile station to obtain the identification of the second base station, receiving the identification of the second base station; after receiving the identification of the second base station, querying the almanac to obtain a geographic location associated with the identification of the second base station, and determining that the almanac includes the geographic location associated with the identification of the second base station; and using the geographic location associated with the identification of the second base station to determine the location of the mobile station.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions for: Receiving a location request and the registered (first) base station's ID from a mobile station. Checking an almanac for the first base station's location. If not found, sending a message to the mobile station to get the ID of a second, unregistered base station with a weaker signal. Receiving the second base station's ID. Checking the almanac for the second base station's location, confirming it exists. Calculating the mobile station's location using the second base station's location.
19. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 18 , wherein transmitting the message to the mobile station directing the mobile station to obtain the identification of the second base station comprises directing the mobile station to drop its connection to the first base station and acquire a connection to the second base station.
The non-transitory machine readable medium from Claim 18 sends instructions to the mobile station to disconnect from the first base station and establish a full connection with the second base station.
20. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 18 , wherein transmitting the message to the mobile station directing the mobile station to obtain the identification of the second base station comprises directing the mobile station to partially acquire a connection to the second base station; and wherein the mobile station maintains its connection with the first base station.
The non-transitory machine readable medium from Claim 18, transmits instructions to the mobile station to only partially acquire connection to the second base station, while keeping the existing connection to the first base station.
Unknown
September 30, 2014
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.